Monday, March 23, 2020

Shree Banke Bihari Ji Temple closed till March 31

Temples of Vrindavan are world-famous; some for their grandeur and some for their
antiquity and legends associated with them. Thousands of devotees visit this small
town daily from far-flung places of not just India but the world. But, amidst
the threat of novel Coronavirus, temples are closed and visitors are few. From Shree
Banke Bihari Ji Temple to the ISKCON Temple, all big and small temples have
been shut down as a protective measure against the spread of COVID-19.

In an attempt to
safeguard the Temple premises against Coronavirus, ISKCON management has cut down the daily offerings to deities. These offering also include grand flower
decorations known as Pushpa-Sewa. Management has also minimized the quantities of
items that are being procured from outside. Every article before allowing
inside the Temple premises is being sanitized first, including flowers.

At ISKCON Temple,
daily Sewa and offerings are being observed as usual but on a small scale. Daily
flower offerings to deities including Lord Krishna, Shree Radharani, Balarama
and Nitai Gaur have been curtailed to 4 Kg whilst in normal days, 60 Kg flowers
are offered in different forms. ISKCON management procures flowers for Temple
use from cities such as Delhi.

Public Relations
Officer of ISKCON, Saurabh Trivikram Das informed that only 4 Kg flowers are
being purchased due to Coronavirus threat. He further added that the entry
inside the Temple premises is barred for public till March 31. Only 3 priests are
exempt and these priests reside 24 hours inside the Temple and perform daily
Sewa of Lord Shree Radha-Krishna. In normal days, around 40 devotees offer
daily Sewa in the Temple on a daily basis, but in the light of COVID-19 threat,
except for 3 priests, no one is allowed inside the Temple.

Sanitized flowers
and in-house prepared Naivedyam for Lord Krishna

Temple management
sanitizes flowers before allowing them inside the Temple premises. From the
supplier’s end, the flowers arrive securely in poly bags. But, before allowing
them inside, they are transferred in a sanitized cloth right outside the Temple
gates. To avoid any hazard, the poly bags are discarded outside the Temple at a
specific place. Following this, flowers are mixed well inside the sanitized
cloth to get rid of any potential threat and are then offered to deities.

As per the Temple
traditions, Prasad offered to deities are prepared in-house. ISKCON Temple
never offers food articles prepared outside to deities as Prasad. Only Temple-authorized
cooks prepare Naivedyam inside the Temple kitchen.